Motorcycles are two wheeled motor vehicles. A standard motorcycle having a two cylinder engine in a “V” configuration is shown in FIG. 1. There are about 200 million motorcycles in use worldwide. Operating a standard motorcycle having a manual transmission typically requires both hands and both feet. The left hand is used to operate a clutch lever on the handlebar. The right hand is used to operate both a throttle grip and a front brake lever on the handlebar. The left foot is used to operate a gear shifter lever. The right foot is used to operate a rear brake pedal.
Due to injury, amputation, or other cause, some people are unable to operate a standard manual transmission motorcycle because they lack a right foot capable of operating the rear brake pedal. Various systems with a hand operated control on the handlebar have been disclosed for operating the rear brake. Most involve a replacement of the rear brake pedal and the running of a new hydraulic fluid brake line from the rear brake to the handlebar. Such systems are disclosed in Bevins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,652, Apr. 5, 1994; and Hutchison, U.S. Pat. No. 7,395,909, Jul. 8, 2008. While these systems allow the modified motorcycle to be operated without use of the right foot, they tend to be expensive and difficult to install. Furthermore, it is expensive and difficult to restore the motorcycle to normal operation for use by a person with a functioning right foot.
Accordingly, there is a demand for an improved motorcycle having a hand-operated rear brake assist system that works with the standard foot-operated rear brake system. There is also a demand for an improved retrofit system that converts a standard foot-operated rear brake system of a motorcycle to a hand-operated system. There is also a demand for an improved method for converting a standard foot-operated rear brake system of a motorcycle to a hand-operated system.